Manufacture of shoes



1. H'. common. MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1'917.

1,302,995 Patented May 6,1919.

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ber provided for this v UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

JOHN H. CONNOR, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASS IGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

Application filed November 30, 1917. Serial N 0. 204,631.

1/ b aZZ It'd/017 it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. OoNNon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofllaiassachusetts, have invented certain 'Im: provements in theManufacture of Shoes, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like referencecharacters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figuresI,

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and moreparticularly. to an improved method of making commonly termed turn novelshoes method.

In the manufacture of turn shoes it is a common practice to employcounters which have been previously molded substantially to final shape,previously molded counters being used not only in turn shoes made withwhat are commonly termed sewed heel seats but also in turn shoes havingwhat are usually called nailed heel seats, sewed heel seats and nailedheel seats representing the two types of turn shoes heretoforemanufactured. In turn shoes of the type first named, the margin of theshoe upper is secured to the sole around the heel seat, before the shoeis turned right side out, by a continuation of the sewed seam securingthe upper to the sole througl the forepart and .In turn shoes of thetype having nailed heel seats, the sewed seam securing the upper to thesole is terminated substantially at the heel breast line of the sole,the margin of the upper at the heel being lasted over and secured bytacks to the bottom of the counter and to a special. heel seatmempurpose after the shoe is turned right side out. Turn shoes of boththese types as heretofore made present difliculties in the way of adproperly incorporating previously molded counters in the shoeconstruction.

shoes and to the produced by the practice of this An object of thepresent invention is to provide an improved method of making turn shoessuch that previously molded counters may be employed without any of thedisadvantages heretofore attendant upon their use, tothe end that turnshoes may be made more advantageously and efiiciently than was pos-Specification of Letters Patent.

shoes of the type vantageously and.

Patented May 6, 1919.

sible by the methods heretofore practised and with the resulting shoepresenting an improved appearance and fitting better than the turn shoesproduced by prior methods.

0 this end, the invention consists, in one of its aspects, in sewing ashoe upper inside out to a sole forwardly of a line substantiallycoincident with the heel breast line of the sole, then lasting theunattached heel end of the shoe upper over into lasted position upon theheel end of the sole and securing it in lasted position thereto by asubstantially fiat seam prior to turning the shoe right side out andsubsequently incorporating a previously molded counter in its properlateral and longitudinal relative position in the shoe. By reason of thesubstantially flat seam connecting the upper to the sole at the heelseat it is possible to seat a molded counter more closely and firmly onthe sole than where the counter is seated upon the sewing rib of.a sewedseat shoe and as a result the shoe upper conforms more accurately to thecontour of the counter particularly adjacent'to the sole, and thedisadvantage heretofore eX- perienced in creating a fullness of upperwhen the heeling pressure is applied to the shoe is entirely overcome. 7

As herein illustrated the flat seam which connects the shoe upper to thesole around the heel end is formed by lasting the heel portion of theupper over on the sole before the shoe is turned right side out and thensecuring it in position with a plurality of metallic fastenings passingthrough the overlasted upper which lies flat upon the sole and clenchedin the sole. As a result of this procedure the heel seat lastingoperation may be performed with considerable accuracy and facility sincethe heel seat is entirely exposed to the workman and the free heel endof the sole is not in his way as was the case when a nailed seat wasmade by prior methods. Also, a pocket is provided at the heel end of theshoe accurately to receive the heel portion of the second last after theshoeis turned. This latter feature is of considerable practicaladvantage inasmuch as it predetermines the proper relation of theassembled shoe upper 011 the second last without the exercise of anygreat care on the part of the workman.

The above and other features of the herein described method, as well asthe novel-step products provided by the invention, will be apparent fromthe following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of theinvention and the novel features will pended claims..

In the drawings, I

Figure l is a perspective viewof a shoe showing an assembled shoe uppersecured to a sole in accordance with the present invention Fig. 2 isaperspective view illustrating one manner of mcorpo 'atmg a previouslymolded counter in a'shoe produced by the practice of the invention;

Fig; 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, illustrating the shoein the process of being turned right side out;

Fig. at is a perspective view of the com pleted shoe showing the heelportion of the shoe partly in section.

For the purpose of illustration, the invention is herein shown as beingpractised in conjunction with a method of making turn shoes, involvingthe use of previously molded counters, known as the Thissell method andwhich is the subject-matter of pending application Ser. No. 169,018,filed Dec. 28, 19l5, owned by the assignee of the present 1nvention.

In carrying out the method of the invention in connection with theThissell method, a shoe upper comprising an upper 2 and a lining &,together with the usual box toe is first assembled with the shoe upperinside out, that is, with the lining outside, upon a last 6. A sole 8,shaped substantially to its size in the finished shoe and having theusual shoulder and sewing channel upon its upper surface is alsotemporarily secured in position on the last bottom. The assembled upperis lasted over on to the sole in the customary manner and thenpermanently secured to the sole by stitches 10 constituting a sewedseam. This sewed seam 10 extends from a point at substantially the heelbreast line on one side of the shoe through the shank, forepart andopposite shank portion to the heel breast line on the opposite side ofthe shoe. The upper 2 and lining t are both secured to the sole 8 by thesewed seam 10. but, preferably, the lining is slit at a point forward ofthe heel breast line or the termination of the sewed seam, indicated at5, a distance approximating the length of the counter wings of apreviously molded counter so that the lining is left unattached to thesole from this point on one side of the shoe around the heel end to asimilar pointon-the opposite side of the shoe. The lining t is left freeof attachment to the sole 8 in order to enable a previously moldedconnter the wings of which invariably extend then be defined in theapcured in overlasted-position thereon.

forwardly of the'heel breast line of the shoe tobe interposed betweenthe shoe ripper 2 and the lining 4, as will hereinafter be described.

Following the permanentattachment of the assembled shoe upper to thesole forwardly of the heel breast line, the margin 12 of the unattachedheel end of the upper is lasted over on to the upper or fieshside or theheel end of the sole and permanently so This attachment of the upper tothe sole is such as to produce a substantially fiat'seam atthe heel seatofthe shoe. As herein shown the means which are used for connecting themargin 12 of the upper to the sole 8 are lasting tacks let driventhrough the overlasted margin of the upper from the unfinished side ofthe upper and through the sole, the tacks being clenched upon the grainside of the sole at the heel by the metal bottom ordinarily provided onthe heel seat of the last 6. This manner of attaching the upper to thesole around the heel end of the sole produces a firm and substantiallyflat heel seat surface, that is, the upper surface of the heel end ofthe sole does not present an upstanding rib or projecting seam as is thecase with a shoe having a sewed heel seat in which the sewed seam iscontinued around the heel end of the shoe. It is to be noted that thelining 4: is left unattached to the sole around the heel and that theheel end of the upper 2 is permanently attached to the heel end of thesole 8 prior to turning the shoe right side out. By reason of thisprocedure the heel lasting operation may be performed at a moreconvenient stage in the production of the shoe under most shoe factorysystems than where it is necessary to perform the heel seat lastingoperation after the shoe has been turned right side out as with theprior methods of making turn shoes having nailed heel seats. Moreover,the heel end of the shoe is entirely exposed to the workman for the heelseat lasting operation so that this operation may be performed withgreater accuracy and facility. With prior heel seat lasting operationswhich are performed after the shoe is turned, it is necessary for theworkman to bend the free heel end of the sole toward thetoe of the shoeto expose the heel seat and enable him to last the heel end of the upperover on to the heel'seat member, and considerable difiiculty is oftenexperienced by the workman not properly securing the overlasted margin'of the upper to the sole near the termination of the sewed seam. Unlessextreme care is used the bending of the sole to expose the heel seattends to start the inseam at its termination on either side of the shoe.A further advantage obtained by lasting the heel margin of the upperover on to the sole before the shoe is turned right side out is that theheads of the tacks 1 t are thereby located in the inte "the anglebetween the sole rior of the shoe and the points oft-he tacks on theunder side of the sole. It has also been found that less fullnessandwrinkles are produced in the heel end of the upper adjacent to thesole after it is turned right side out when the upper is lasted over andsecured to the sole wrong side out.

Any of the commonly practised methods of incorporating a previouslymolded counter in a turn shoe may be successfully practised incompleting the shoe. The illustrated method consists in providing apreviously molded counter 18 with a bottom piece 20 which fits insidethe counter and is secured thereto through its inturned flange. Thisbottom piece 20 serves to maintain the shape of the counter 18 in theshoe and more especially it prevents the forward ends of the counterwhere they extend forwardly of the heel breast line of the shoe fromspreading outwardly which is detrimental to the appearance and wearingquali ties of the shoe. This counter is secured to the sole in theposition it assumes in the finished shoe by a plurality of tacks, thesetacks of course being confined-within the area of the heel seat which isback ofthe heel breast line so as to prevent them from showing on thebottom surface of the sole in the finished shoe. By lasting the upperover on to the sole and securing it by tacks, a substantially flat andfirm seat is provided to receive the counter 18 with the result that aWell-defined rand crease or shoulder along and the upper in the finishedshoe is obtained and the upper conforms accurately counter and last,thus to shrink the upper counter by means of treatment. Moreoverattaching the heel to pressure has no opportunity to distort or upsetthe relative positions of the materials constituting the heel end of theshoe before the counter is firmly seated on the sole as often occurswhen a previously molded counter is seated upon the top of the sewedseam of a turn shoe having a sewed seat. Ac cording to the generalpractice the forepart of the shoe is first turned as shown inFig. 3 andthen the heel portion of the shoe is turned. In turning the heel portionof the shoe the lining 4, which is not secured to the sole 8 about theheel, is first pulled upwardly over the counter 18 in the mannerindicated in Fig. 3 which procedure also turns the upper 2 baokwardlyand upwardly over the counter. After the upper 2 has been turned rightside out about the counter, the lining at is turned in over the innerface of the counter so that the counter is disposed between the upper 2and the lining 4. The inner face of the counter is preferably coatedwith cement and the lower marginal making it unnecessary to the contourof the a hot iron or similar in the operation of to the contour of thethe shoe the heeling edge of the lining 4 is turned out on to the bottompiece 20 and the usual heel seat and shank member 23 inserted in theshoe. Since the lining 4 is unsecured after the shoe is turned and priorto re-lasting any fullness and wrinkles in the lining may be properlydisposed of before the second last is inserted in the shoe. The shoe isthen relasted in the usual manner by inserting a second last. The pocketformed in the heel end of the upper by reason of the upper and solebeing attached serves to predetermine the relative position of the lastin the shoe and thus insures against the heel end of the upper being toohigh or low on the last with a consequent result of producing amisshaped and poor fitting shoe. Subsequent turn shoe making operationsare performed on the shoe in the usual manner including the heel seatnailing operation which inserts a series of nails 25 through the marginof the sole, upper, counter and heel seat. The heel seat nails areordinarily inserted from the outside of the shoe inwardly and clenchedon the inside of the shoe and serve to fasten the constituent shoe partsaround the heel firmly together. After the heel seat nailing operationthe usual heel and sole edge trimming, heeling and finishi'nigoperations may be performed in the desired manner. It will be observedthat the invention also provides novel step products at different stagesin the manufacture of a turn shoe be fore its completion whether or notthe process herein set forth is practised in its entirety. Such a stepproduct comprises a shoe upper inside out, a sole, the upper and thesole being secured together by a sewed seam extending around theforepart and the shank and said upper being overlasted on the heel seatportion of the sole on the side of the sole to which the upper is sewedand secured thereto by tacks and a molded counter seated .on the tackedheel seat portion of the sole, a product of this character being fullyillustrated in Fig. 2. In another aspect, the invention provides as anovel step product at another stage in the manufacture of a turn shoe, ashoe upper, a sole, the upper and sole being secured together by a sewedseam extending around the forepart and the shank and said member beingoverlasted on the heel seat portion of the sole on the side of the soleto which the upper is sewed and secured thereto by tacks, a moldedcounter seated on the tacked heel seat portion of the sole, andfasteningssecuring the upper and the counter to the sole.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. That improvement in the artof making turn shoes which consists in assembling an upper wrong sideout and a sole upon a last,

sewing the upper to the sole forwardly of a line substantiallycoinciding with the heel breast line of the sole, lasting the heel endof the upper over on to the heel end of the sole and securing it inlasted position by a substantially fiat seam prior to turning the shoeright side out and subsequently incorporating a previously moldedcounter in the shoe and completing the manufacture of the shoe.

2. That improvement in the art of making turn shoes which consists inassembling an upper wrong side out and a sole upon a last, sewing theupper to the sole forwardly of a line substantially coincident with theheel breast line of the sole, lasting the heel end of the upper over onto the heel end of the sole prior to turning the shoe right side out andsecuring it in lasted position by metallic fastenings passing throughthe margin of the upper and into the sole, and subsequentlyincorporating a previously molded counter in the shoe.

That improvement in the art of making turn shoes which consists inassembling an upper wrong side out and a sole upon a last, sewing theupper to the sole forwardly of a line substantially coincident with theheel breast line, lasting the upper over on to the upper side of theheel end of the sole and securing it in lasted position by asubstantially flat seam, positioning a molded counter on the sole in theposition desired in the finished shoe and attaching itto the sole,withdrawing the last and turning the shoe right side out and thencompleting the manufacture of the shoe.

4. That improvement in the art of making turn shoes which consists inassembling an upper and lining wrong side out, together with a sole,upon a last, sewing the upper and lining to the sole forwardly of a linesubstantially coincident with the heel breast line but leaving thelining unattached to the sole approximately as far forward as thecounter wings extend, lasting the heel end of the upper over on to theheel end of the sole and securing it in lasted position by metallicfastenings prior to turning the shoe right side out, and subsequentlvincorporating a molded counter in the shoe with the body of the counterdisposed between the upper and the lining and thereafter completing themanufacture of the shoe.

5. That improvement in the art of making turn shoes which consists inassembling an upper and lining wrong side out and a sole upon a last,sewing the upper and lining to the sole forwardly of a linesubstantially coincident with the heel breast line of the sole butleaving the lining unattached to the sole approximately as far forwardof the termination of the inseam as the counter wings extend, lastingthe heel end of the upper OVGI on to the heel end of the sole andsecuring it in lasted position by metallic fastenings but leaving thelining unattached ,to the sole, permanently attaching a previouslymolded counter to the sole and thereafter withdrawing the last andturning the shoe right side out and during of the shoe disposing thebody ofthe counter between the upper and the lining.

6. That improvement in the artof making turn-shoes which consists inassembling an upper and lining'wrongside-out and a sole upon a last,sewing the upper and lining to the sole forwardly of a linesubstantially coincident with the heel breast line but leaving thelining unattached to the sole approximately as far forward as thecounter wings extend, lasting the upper over on to the heel end of thesole and securing it in lasted position by metallic fastenings,permanently attaching a previously molded counter to the heel end of thesole in the relative position it is to occupy in the finished shoe,turning the shoe right side out and incidentally disposing the counterbetween the upper and the lining at the 'heel end of the shoe and thensecuring the margin of the heel end of the sole, the upper and thecounter together and completing the manufacture of the shoe.

7. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists inproviding a sole blank of a shape corresponding substantially to theshape of the sole blank in the finished shoe, assembling an upper andlining wrong side out and a sole upon a last, sewing the upper andlining to the sole forwardly of a line substantially coincident with theheel breast line of the sole but leaving the lining unattached tothesole approximately as far forward of the termination of the inseam asthe counter wings extend, lasting the margin of the heel end of theupper over on to the heel end of the sole and securing it in lastedposition tby metallic fastenings passing through the margin of the upperand the sole and clenched upon the grain side of the sole, the liningbeing left unattached to the sole, permanently attaching a previouslymolded counter in final position on the flesh side of the heel end ofthe sole, and then turning the shoe right side out and incidentallydisposing the counter between the upper and the lining.

8. A turn shoe comprising a sole, an upper secured to the sole forwardlyof a line sub stantially coincident with the heel breast line by a seamof single-faced stitches and having its heel end independently securedto the sole by metallic fastenings the points of which are clenched uponthe underside of the sole, a heel stifi'ener independently attached tothe sole with metallic fastenings, a heel seat member, and fasteningssecuring together the margins of the sole, upper, heel stiffener andheel seat member.

9. That improvement in the art of making the said turning turn soleswhich consists in lasting and Sewing an assembled shoe upper around thefore part and shank of a sole, lasting and tacking the shoe upper aroundthe heel seat of the sole to the same side of the sole to which theupper is sewed around the forepart and the shank, locating a moldedcounter having an inturned flange 011 the sole with the flange of thecounter seated upon the tacked seam, fastening the said counter to thesole and thereafter turning the shoe right side out and completing itsmanufacture in the usual manner.

10. A step product in the manufacture of a turn shoe comprising a shoeupper inside out, a sole, the upper and the sole being secured togetherby a sewed seam extending around the upper being overlasted on the heelseat por- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the forepart and the shank and said.

tion of the sole on the side of the sole to which the upper is sewed andsecured thereto by tacks, and a molded counter seated on the tacked heelseat portion of the sole.

11. A step product in the manufacture of a turn shoe comprising a shoeupper, a sole, the upper and sole being secured together by a sewed seamextending around the forepart and the shank the said upper beingoverlasted on the heel seat portion of the shoe on the side of the soleto which the upper is sewed and secured thereto by tacks, a moldedcounter seated 011 the tacked heel seat portion of the sole, andfastenings securing the upper and the counter to the sole.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN H. CONNOR.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

